News reports on recent testimony before the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee revealed how Colorado’s expenditure of billions in one-time federal funds has directly contributed to today’s state budget shortfall. According to the JBC, a series of decisions made since 2021 has steadily built a structural deficit that is now coming due.

One-time federal funds were knowingly used to launch ongoing programs and initiatives, with the hope that future revenues or another federal bailout would keep them afloat. As reported, “The JBC estimates the legislature was spending $829 million more than the ongoing available revenue.”

Predictably, Democrats were quick to reach for their favorite scapegoat: TABOR. But a closer look at the analysis tells a different story—one of purposeful overspending and a willingness to defer the consequences rather than confront fiscal reality.

While the governor and legislature were rolling out programs they could not sustain, your El Paso County Board of Commissioners took a markedly different approach. We understood that one-time money means exactly that—one time. That clarity forced difficult choices, but it also protected our county’s long-term financial health.

We never contemplated creating permanent programs with one-time federal dollars. We did not add new staff that we could not sustain. Many approached us with ideas of how to spend money. In many cases, we simply said no.

We made decisions with a clear-eyed understanding that ignoring fiscal limits today would only guarantee deeper budget pain tomorrow.

That’s a stark contrast to the Democrat-led legislature’s refusal to accept reality. Look no further than this quote from Boulder’s Sen. Julie Amabile in one news report:

“Yes, [the programs] have ongoing costs, she said, but “I think that was really well spent money.” The Democrat-led legislature does not want to be constrained by reality.

There will always be more “good things” for politicians to spend money on. We face this as families every day. It would be wonderful if mom and dad could afford to send Johnny to a fantastic learning camp this summer, or maintain our home with a fresh coat of paint. Money well spent indeed! But when you don’t have that money the fact remains that you must live within your budget or risk failing to provide the basics because you didn’t prioritize.

The failures of our state has led it to pass the costs of its decisions down to counties—forcing local governments to absorb unfunded mandates that cut into our own local priorities. Ultimately, this only hurts our residents.

There is no possible way to avoid the need for fiscal responsibility. It requires stalwart leadership in the face of ideas that may or may not have merit. I am grateful for the discipline, commitment, and example the El Paso Board of County Commissioners sets for good government, particularly as we witness the consequences to our state and even other local governments who failed taxpayers by rejecting fiscal reality.

Carrie Geitner represents District 2 on the El Paso County Board of Commissioners.